Improved evaporator



J. F. RIGGS.

Evaporator.

Patented July 3, 1866.

- represent sections of the pan.

PATENT OFFICE.

. J. F. BIGGS, OF ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI.

l M PROVED -EVAPO RATO R.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 56,097,.dated July 3, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. RIGGS, of St. Joseph, Buchanan county, State of Missouri, have invented a new and Improved -Evaporator for Evaporatin g (Jane-Juice or other Saccharine Liquids; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, ip which Figure 1 is a plan of an evaporator made according to my invention. Fig. 2 is an underside view. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on the bent line a: of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an underside view of a middle section, shown detached. Fig. 5 shows a front View of a portion of the scum-board enlarged, so as to show the gates, also a top view of a portion thereof, and also a cross-section thereof.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The subject of my said invention is a novel and improved evaporator, the pan being made of cast-iron and arranged with ledges or flan ges protruding from the sides, alternating so as to form a transverse channel. Said evaporator is made in sections, (two or more,) and arranged to increase the size at any time by the insertion of one or more sections. The sections are connected by means of rods or bars of iron running along the sides and connecting at the corners with lugs. The edges of the sections are connected with lugs and bolts. A skimmer is attached in a novel and improved manner, being suspended by an elastic contrivance and arranged to remove the scum from the full length of the pan ata single operation.

In order that those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains may be enabled to fully understand and practice the same, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings,A A Amay B B represent the connecting-rods. b I) represent the conmeeting-bolts; O G C O, the lugs on the corners of the pan cc 0 c, the lugs on the edges of the sections. D represents the flaring side of the pan E, the vertical side. F represents the outside flange; G G, the connectingflanges. h h represent the side bolts. I represents the ledges. K represents the transverse channel. L represents the opening at the end of the channel. M represents the scumtrough; N, the opening in the scum-trough. O 0 represent sockets to receive the standards P 1?, which are connected by a cross-bar, Q. R represents the scum-board; s s, the handles. T T represents the elastic springs t t, the chains. U U are grooves in the edge of the board, which are closed by sliding gates. X represents hooks, on which the skimmer is hung when not in operation.

The sections A A A are made with one side flaring about forty-five degrees. The ends and the other side are vertical.

On the under side of one edge of one of the end sections and on the under side of one edge of each of the middle sections is a connectingflange, G G, projecting out far enough to form a shelf or shoulder, and separated by the connecting-lugs O O G O, which project downward from the bottom of the pan.

On the flanges G G G is placed the edge, of one section, A, on which there are no flanges, and through the lugs O G O O are passed the connecting-bolts b b, and fastened with nuts and screws. White lead, cement, or packing of any suitable description may be put in the joints to prevent leaking.

After the sections A A are join-ed together by the bolts 1) b the connecting rods or bars B B are passed through the lugs O O O O to fasten the sides of the pan together by the aid of nuts on the ends of the rods.

The bolts h it pass through the flaring side D near the edge of the sections, and through the connecting rod or bar B, and I fasten them together with the nuts on the outside, the heads of .which are countersunk in the flaring side D. i

Instead of using the rod B B, the sides of l the pan maybe fastened by lugs and screwbolts on the outside of each edge of the sections A A A.

On the inside surface of the pan, protruding from each side, are ledges or flanges I I, alternating in such a manner as to form the transverse channel K.

At one end of the channel K is an opening,

L, to allow the escape of the concentrated sac- I charine matter.

Under the front edge of the flaring side D is a scum-trough, M, which may be fastened to the connecting-bar B or fastened in any other suitable manner.-

In the trough M is an opening, N, covered with gauze wire to separate the juice from the scum. The trough M is so constructed as to incline from the ends to the opening N.

On the outside of the ends of the pan are sockets O O, in which are placed the standards P P, which rise above the pan perpendicularly, and are connected at the top by the cross-bar Q, forming a frame, from which is suspended the skim-board R by means of an elastic cord or springs and chains t t. The handles 8 s are attached to the upper edge of the skim-board, and pass out over the edge of the flaring side D. The ends are turned inward, forming a square.

In the skim-board it, above each ledge I, is

- a groove, U, to allow the lower edge of the skim-board to rest 011 the bottom of the channel K.

Over the grooves U U are sliding gates V V, arranged to close the grooves when the skimboard is passing over the ends of the ledges toward the flaring side D, to prevent the escape of the scum back into the pan.

On the cross-bar Q are hooks X X, on which i is hung the skim-board when not in use.

Outside of the vertical side E, and protruding from and running parallel with the bottom of the pan, is a flange, F, sufficiently broad to allow the vertical side E to be beyond the edge of the furnace.

The evaporator may be set on a brick, stone, or other suitable arch or furnace, on a sutficient inclination from the front to the.back end of the pan to allow theliquid to flow through the channels K.

Operation: The juice is let into the evaporator at the front end of the vertical side by means of a spout or other contrivance from the juice-tank. A fire is placed in the furnace under the front end of the evaporator, which heats the vertical side of the pan to a greater degree of heat than the flaring side. Ebullition is thus produced at or near the vertical side, and flows across to the flaring side of the pan, carrying with it the scum or other impure matter, which may be removed by taking hold of the handles of the skimmer and drawing it across the pan to the flaring side, then up the flaring side into the trough. Any saccharine matter which may be drawn into the trough with the scum settles to the bottom of the trough, and runs through the opening'N into a vessel, which may be run back into the pan. When the sirup is sufficiently concentrated or condensed it passes out of the pan at the opening L in the channel K.

I11 operating with a sheet-iron evaporator I found that the heat could not be raised above 220 Fahrenheit without burning the sirup. I also found that the mucilage or gum would not make a complete separation from the sirup at a less degree of heat than two hundred and twenty-five, but would settle to the bottom and adhere to the pan. This difficulty is overcome in my cast-iron evaporator, the heat be ing raised to a much greater degree without burning the 'sirup, and the gum, or mucilage rises to the top and comes off with the scum, leaving the bottom of the evaporator clean.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A cast-iron transverse-current evaporator, when made in sections so as to be able to increase the size of the pan by the insertion of one or more sections, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. Suspending a skimming apparatus over the pan by an elastic contrivance, for the purposes described.

3. The sections A A A A, the connectingrods B B, and the lugs O O O G, substantially as and for the purposes described.

4.. The lugs O O O O, the connecting-bolts b b, the side bolts, h h, substantially as and for the purposes described.

5. A scum-trough inclining from the ends to ward the center, with an opening covered with any suitable strainer, substantially as and for the purposes described.

6. The sockets O O, the elastic springs T T, the chains t t, the handles 8 s, the grooves U U, the sliding gates V V, and the hooks X X, substantially as and for the purposes described.

The above specification of my invention signed by me this 24th day of March, 1866.

J. F. R-IGGS.

Witnesses G. M. THoMPsoN, WM. W. CLARK. 

